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breathing spaces newsletter of National Parks Wales

Autumn 2011Autumn 2011Autumn 2011Autumn 2011

Delivering Biodiversity in an economically Delivering Biodiversity in an economically Delivering Biodiversity in an economically Delivering Biodiversity in an economically

challenging timechallenging timechallenging timechallenging timeMargaret Underwood,

“A light bulb moment”

“Challenging”

“Some new approaches to think about”

These were just some of the comments from

National Park Members after attending their

annual seminar at the beginning of October. The

seminar - hosted by Brecon Beacons National

Park Authority - was entitled “Delivering

Biodiversity in an economically challenging

time”. The challenge facing Members was to

maintain our current work of conserving and

enhancing biodiversity and build on that work to

deliver more benefits for biodiversity by fully

embracing the ecosystems approach.

National Parks are at the forefront of adapting in

changing times and developing sustainably by

promoting the economic and social benefits of

nature and other natural services, such as clean

water, healthy soils and biodiversity. So having

the opportunity to visit two unique projects that

embodied these aspects gave Members a real

opportunity to see how real ecosystems can

benefit within National Parks.

Both projects are located in the Brecon Beacons

- the Environment Agency’s Cynrig Hatchery at

Cantref and a water vole re-introduction

scheme at Llangorse Lake. Both projects deliver

huge benefits to the environment, and give

Plan GreenerPlan GreenerPlan GreenerPlan Greener85.8% of renewable energy planning applications to the National

Park Authorities were approved over the past 5 years. Non-National

Park planning authorities approved 88.7% of applications over the

same period.

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communities a boost through income from

angling and other forms of sustainable

recreation as well as offering opportunities to

demonstrate ecosystem benefits in action. They

were joined on these project visits by Welsh

Government Minister for Environment and

Sustainability, John Griffiths AM who spent a

morning with Members discussing the pressures

National Parks face in the future.

The Minister said

“Sustainability and

the protection of

our extensive and

diverse biodiversity

are key to

improving the

wellbeing of the

people of Wales,

and those of the

wider world. 

Through the

development of

our Natural

Environment

Framework it is our aim to ensure that Wales has

increasingly resilient and diverse ecosystems that

deliver social, environmental and economic

benefits.” 

For NEF “A Living Wales” to reach its full potential,

new and innovative approaches to the Welsh

environment, economy and society will be

required and the seminar demonstrated that

National Parks have a significant contribution to

make to this agenda.    Maintaining a strong

connection between a healthy environment

and sustainable communities is key to the role

National Parks play.

Members enjoyed a lively presentation on

ecosystems, the ecosystem approach by Brecon

Beacons Biodiversity Officer, Gareth Ellis. Many

hailed it as one of the highlights alongside a

thought provoking after dinner speech by Clive

Bates, Welsh Government Director for

Sustainable Futures.

Perhaps the most challenging presentation was

the possibility of using natural assets to generate

income by trading in the carbon offsetting

market. While this will need legislation in the

future, it has the potential to provide the means

of securing income to manage those valuable

areas such as peat bogs to act as carbon sinks

into the future. These areas also have a vital role

to play in improving water quality, acting as

giant filters, helping to tackle increasing

problems of discoloured water and thus

managing yet another vital resource – water.

Conventional wisdom suggests that the

environment and biodiversity declines during

periods of economic uncertainty.  Our seminar

has shown us that this need not be the case. 

Nature provides many of our vital services for free

and through the National Parks - Welsh

Biodiversity can help.

Invest GreenerInvest GreenerInvest GreenerInvest GreenerOver the next two years approximately £1.9million will be invested

through the Sustainable Development Fund/CAE into communities

within Wales’ protected landscapes.

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Bumblebees win army of fans in National Bumblebees win army of fans in National Bumblebees win army of fans in National Bumblebees win army of fans in National

Park MOD RangePark MOD RangePark MOD RangePark MOD Range

Around 30 people attended a Bumblebee

Celebration Day in August on the Castlemartin

MOD Range, organised by the Bumblebee

Conservation Trust.

Equipped with butterfly nets and pots, the team

headed out onto the Castlemartin Range Trail to

search for some of the rarest bumblebees in

Britain.

Participant Sue Beckett, visiting from the

Midlands, said: “It’s been fascinating to learn

about the bumblebees, I had no idea there were

24 species. It’s inspired me to try to create a

wildflower habitat in my garden to encourage

more bumblebees.”

The Bumblebee Conservation Trust won an

online competition last year for funding from the

European Outdoor Conservation Association for

the Pembrokeshire Bumblebee Path Project. The

funding helps to provide wildflower habitats for

bumblebees along the Castlemartin Range Trail.

Authority Members give green light to Authority Members give green light to Authority Members give green light to Authority Members give green light to

Brecon Beacons Local Development PlanBrecon Beacons Local Development PlanBrecon Beacons Local Development PlanBrecon Beacons Local Development Plan

Earlier this month Members of Brecon Beacons

National Park Authority unanimously approved

the changes to the Authority’s Deposit Local

Development Plan (LDP) for submission to the

Welsh Government for examination.

The approval by Members of LDP Submission

Documents follows four years of extensive con-

sultation and engagement with National Park

communities, partner organisations, landowners,

agents and developers. This follows hot on the

heels of LDP adoption by the Pembrokeshire

Coast and Snowdonia National Park Authorities –

amongst the first in Wales.

Over the next six weeks, further consultation will

take place on the proposed changes to the

plan, known as Focused Changes, addressing

issues raised by the consultation on the Deposit

LDP.  Communities and stakeholders will once

again have an opportunity to have their say,

telling the Inspector whether the changes ad-

dress the issues raised during the deposit consul-

tation.  The Inspector will ultimately decide on

the final content of the LDP.

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Snowdonia National Park Reaches 60Snowdonia National Park Reaches 60Snowdonia National Park Reaches 60Snowdonia National Park Reaches 60

A number of significant events have taken place

over the past few months to celebrate

Snowdonia National Park’s 60th anniversary. The

events reflect the work undertaken by the

National Park Authority for the benefit of

communities within the Park and the visitors from

all over the world who arrive to explore,

experience or relax within its spectacular

landscapes.

The 60th anniversary provides an opportunity to

acknowledge the hard work undertaken to

improve the special qualities of the Park along

with promoting the area for the benefit of the

communities within its boundaries.

John Griffiths, Minister for Environment and

Sustainable Development sent his support for the

celebrations: "I congratulate all the staff at

Snowdonia National Park for their 60 year's of

hard work to safeguard our environment.

Snowdonia, along with Wales' other national

parks, is an example of Wales' beautiful and

unique landscape. Our valued environment

creates employment and income worth billions

of pounds, offers us health, recreation, sport and

learning opportunities. The Welsh Government is

committed to supporting the landscape and has

recently launched its Natural Environment

Framework, 'A Living Wales', - a new framework

for our environment, our countryside and our

seas."

From Open Space to Cyber Space From Open Space to Cyber Space From Open Space to Cyber Space From Open Space to Cyber Space

The presence of the National Parks on the Internet continues to grow. Most of the UK National Park

Authorities, including all three Welsh NPAs are engaging with social networking and are raising the online

presence of National Parks.

If you want to read their profiles, pages, tweets and channels, which all provide continual up to date

information. The National Parks Portal contains a comprehensive selection of appropriate links. That page is

accessed via this website address :

http://www.nationalparks.gov.uk/aboutus/ourwebsites.htm

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As part of the celebrations, two new footpaths

have been opened, the Pen-y-Gwryd and

Ardudwy Way. A number of guided walks have

taken place including walks for the less able.

Denis McAteer, Chairman of Y Cerddwyr

(Ramblers Wales) commented on the opening

of Taith Ardudwy Way - “Apart from the joy of

walking in such a beautiful part of the country

there is now a wealth of evidence about the

health benefits associated with walking. This new

trail will provide increased opportunities for

everyone to get out in the fresh air. Also, properly

promoted, this trail could attract new visitors to

the area and bring direct benefits to the local

economy.”

Cyclists from the Snowdonia National Park

Authority raised £1,133 in aid of Save the

Children by successfully completing an 80 mile

bike ride from the south to the north of the

National Park. The team of 17 crossed the

finishing line at Conwy having travelled through

the heartland of Eryri.

The programme of events culminated on the

18th October, the date that saw Snowdonia

designated as a National Park in 1951. To mark

the occasion, one of the Parks' cultural projects

“The Wonders of Snowdonia” was presented to

the public at Oriel Croesor, Croesor. The project,

which runs throughout the year, celebrates the

variety of wonders within the National Park

through literary and visual interpretation. The 60

wonders nominated by the public showcases

Snowdonia’s special qualities.

Brecon Beacons National Park Authority Brecon Beacons National Park Authority Brecon Beacons National Park Authority Brecon Beacons National Park Authority

takes lead role in securing €10million for takes lead role in securing €10million for takes lead role in securing €10million for takes lead role in securing €10million for

rural communitiesrural communitiesrural communitiesrural communities

Brecon Beacons National Park Authority is

celebrating with its twelve partners spread

across Europe, after securing more than

€10million for the benefit of rural communities

over the next four years.       

The new project - called Rural Alliances - will start

in late November, when the twelve partners and

representative businesses will attend a meeting,

hosted by the Brecon Beacons National Park

Authority to plan their approach to challenge

conventional approaches to rural

development. 

The National Park Authority played a lead role in

the successful application for ERDF co-financing

which was officially given the green light on 12th

October 2011 by the European Union’s Interreg

IVB NWE Programme.

The partners will support rural enterprises and

communities to work together in new alliances to

generate new business opportunities,

safeguarding and improving rural services and

making their areas special places for people to

visit, relocate to and raise their families.  The

project will last four years with support from the

EU and local partner funds aimed at

international networking, training, exchange

visits and the benefit of exchanging best

practice between different EU regions.

Go GreenerGo GreenerGo GreenerGo Greener

Between 2009/10 and 2010/11 the National Park Authorities

reduced carbon emissions by an average 10.25%, far

exceeding the Welsh Government’s 3% annual target!

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Challenge to save lost lichens of Tycanol Challenge to save lost lichens of Tycanol Challenge to save lost lichens of Tycanol Challenge to save lost lichens of Tycanol

National Nature ReserveNational Nature ReserveNational Nature ReserveNational Nature Reserve

Internationally important lichens will be lost in a

National Park woodland unless action is taken to

reinstate the conditions in which they thrive.

Tycanol National Nature Reserve is one of only six

Welsh wood pasture sites of international

importance for the 400 species of lichen which

grow there.

Lichens thrive in open, light conditions, but in

Tycanol these conditions are rapidly being lost as

the tree canopy becomes more and more

dense.

National

Park

Woodland

Officer Celia

Thomas

said: “While

it looks very

‘Zen’- like

and

peaceful,

the mossy covering under the trees is out-

competing the lichens for which the site is

designated as a SSSI (Site of Special Scientific

Interest), NNR (National Nature Reserve) and

SAC (Special Area of Conservation). 

“People are often alarmed when trees are felled,

but we will work hard to achieve a balance

between removing some of the trees and

keeping the sense of place at Tycanol.”

A Gift To The Park From Snowdonia’s A Gift To The Park From Snowdonia’s A Gift To The Park From Snowdonia’s A Gift To The Park From Snowdonia’s

VisitorsVisitorsVisitorsVisitors

On October 13th, Snowdonia National Park On October 13th, Snowdonia National Park On October 13th, Snowdonia National Park On October 13th, Snowdonia National Park

hosted a Visitor Gifting Conference at Plas Tan y hosted a Visitor Gifting Conference at Plas Tan y hosted a Visitor Gifting Conference at Plas Tan y hosted a Visitor Gifting Conference at Plas Tan y

Bwlch Study Centre, Maentwrog.Bwlch Study Centre, Maentwrog.Bwlch Study Centre, Maentwrog.Bwlch Study Centre, Maentwrog.

With the assistance of partners from the private,

public and voluntary sectors, the conference

explored ways in which businesses, attractions

and destinations within the National Park can

offer additional value to visitors through

innovative schemes, funded largely by the

visitors themselves.

Evidence from similar schemes in other parts of

Britain (the Lake District) and Europe and North

America show that offering the visitor an

incentive to invest or give, a small amount of

money during a holiday stay, can benefit an

area significantly.

Such schemes are generally referred to as ‘visitor

gifting’ or ‘visitor payback’ and are specifically

designed to allow visitors to an area to make a

direct contribution to conservation or heritage

schemes.

Having heard about experiences from elsewhere

delegates were able to discuss and debate the

potential of such schemes within Snowdonia.

Aneurin Phillips, Chief Executive of Snowdonia

National Park said, “The conference is an

opportunity to explore the potential of

developing Visitor Gifting within the Snowdonia

National Park. This conference will give our

tourism sector the relevant background to

consider whether such a scheme can be

established for the benefit of businesses and

tourists alike within the National Park”.

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Balancing brambles, bracken and Balancing brambles, bracken and Balancing brambles, bracken and Balancing brambles, bracken and

butterfliesbutterfliesbutterfliesbutterflies

Keeping paths and Rights of Way clear in the

Pembrokeshire Coast National Park can be a

thorny issue – literally, with a tricky balance to be

maintained between conserving special

habitats and keeping walkers safe, especially in

coastal areas.

The Park Authority’s Head of Recreation and

Tourism Charles Mathieson said: “Our staff are

trained to recognise important species, such as

marsh orchids.”

“We do our best to cut at times to maximise the

biodiversity around paths, but this always has to

be balanced against our duty of care to public

health and safety and to keep Rights of Way

open and available for use.”

Mowing grassy slopes, such as those on the

Castlemartin Range, also needs sensitive

handling.

The Park Authority’s Farm Conservation Officer

Geraint Jones said: “We’ve recently carried out

a mowing and baling exercise in Castlemartin

deliberately late in order to give the flowering

plants a chance to seed. There was a lovely

show of flowering knapweed which is really

important to bumblebees prior to hibernation.”

National Parks extend Rights of Way National Parks extend Rights of Way National Parks extend Rights of Way National Parks extend Rights of Way

consultation  consultation  consultation  consultation  

 The consultation period for the Public Rights of

Way network questionnaires has been extended

until the 18th November giving more people the

opportunity to have their say on what they think

of the current network. 

    

In view of the level of interest shown by the

public, Brecon Beacons and Pembrokeshire

Coast National Park Authorities have decided to

extend the consultation period which invites

people to take part in their Public Rights of Way

network questionnaire so that they can review

and assess the network’s value and

effectiveness.  This joint review will enhance the

current work that is being undertaken by both

National Parks on their Rights of Way

Improvement Plans.